Food safety considerations and research priorities for the cultured meat and seafood industry

Summary

This review synthesises food safety considerations for the emerging cultured meat and seafood industry through consultation with 87 industry, regulatory, and food safety experts. The authors developed a modular manufacturing process diagram to systematically identify potential hazards and evaluated whether existing safety assessment methods from conventional foods, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals are applicable. The authors conclude that most anticipated hazards are not expected to be novel, but further research is needed on the safety of novel inputs, residues, contamination pathways, and standardised animal-free assessment methods to support responsible commercialisation.

Regional applicability

The findings are directly relevant to UK food safety regulation and commercialisation pathways for cultured meat and seafood, as the UK FSA and DEFRA will require evidence-based safety frameworks aligned with these international research priorities. The emphasis on standardised, animal-free assessment methods aligns with UK and European regulatory preference for non-animal testing approaches.

Key measures

Hazard identification across manufacturing process steps; applicability of existing safety assessment frameworks; stakeholder input from 87 industry representatives and researchers

Outcomes reported

The study identified potential chemical and biological hazards introduced during cultured meat and seafood manufacturing processes and evaluated the applicability of existing safety assessment approaches from conventional foods, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals. Research priorities for safe commercialisation were highlighted, including evaluation of novel inputs, contamination risk, and development of standardised, animal-free safety assessment methods.

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